Our class does Literature Circles for the books we read. My job for the Chapter, White Tigers, is the Philosopher King. As the Philosopher King, I am supposed to look for the different themes in the chapter. In the first 16 pages of White Tigers in The Woman Warrior, there were many themes introduced. I am going to talk about four of them.
1. Learning/Training: In the beginning of the chapter, Maxine is telling the story of Fa Mu Lan. She is imagining that she is Fa Mu Lan. An elderly couple asks Fa Mu Lan if she wants to become a warrior to protect her town. She agrees, and goes into training with the couple for 15 years. She learns many things from the couple, such as being very quiet around animals and learning to control her body. She becomes so strong, that she is able to control when her irises dilate.
2. Discipline: When Fa Mu Lan turns 14, the elderly couple takes her blindfolded into the mountain of white tigers. They give her no food and no assistance on how to get back to their home. Fa Mu Lan has to figure out how to survive on very little food and water. She doesn’t take a bite of food until day 10 in the mountains. She gets water by melting snow. An interesting part of this chapter is when a rabbit comes by her while she is near a fire. The rabbit actually jumps into the fire, sacrificing itself, so Fa Mu Lan can eat.
3. Revenge: This is not only an important theme because Fa Mu Lan has this word carved onto her back by her parents, but it is the reason why she started training to become a warrior. She became a warrior because she wanted to protect her village from people that steal from them. She also wanted to get revenge for the people that came to the village and raided them.
4. Pain: Fa Mu Lan suffers through a lot of pain in this chapter. She suffers physical pain. Getting that word carved into your back with a knife doesn’t exactly feel like a massage, does it? She also suffers emotional pain. All she can do is watch while her husband and brother go to war and fight.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Friday, February 23, 2007
Draft of Story
This is the beginning of my story for the writing project.
A magazine. A stupid magazine got me into so much trouble. You see, one day, I was in my sister's store. She was about to pick up her paycheck, when the new issue of Sports Illustrated caught my eye. It had my favorite baseball team on the cover, The New York Yankees. "Can the Yankees make another title run?" was the headline. I wanted it so badly. Even though it should come in the mail in a couple days, I needed to read it. I stuck my hand into my pocket, and took out some money. Then, I thought to myself, wouldn't it be thrilling to steal the thing? I mean, what an adrenaline rush. So, I turned my head back and forth over and over again, making sure there was no one watching me, and I snatched the magazine and tucked it under my shirt. I sauntered towards the door. I was a few steps away from the door, about to reach freedom, when a security guard said, "Hey kid, come with me." Oh Oh. Busted. The security guard took me into a tiny room, and asked, "Did you take anything from here" I decided to lie. "Uh… no sir, I didn't take anything." He knew I was lying. "Well then, I guess you wouldn't mind if I check under your clothes, then." "Okay, I'm sorry, I took this magazine." He thought for a second, and said, "Well, since you're Karen's brother, I won't take you down to the station. But, you do have to pay for the magazine. I'm also going to tell your parents."
As soon as my parents heard the news, they exploded. They were so mad, that they decided to send me off to the Big Island to help my uncle Kealoha out in the coffee fields for three days.
I just arrived at the Big Island, searching for my uncle. When I first set my eyes on him I am stunned. He is a humongous Hawaiian man. How can I be related to him? My family is full of short, scrawny Asians, and this man is at least six feet, 250 pounds! He has a tattoo that runs down his face. I really hope that I never will get this guy pissed, because he could probably snap every bone in my body in half with his iron-like arms.
"OK, Kenny. Wat you goin' do is pick da coffee beans off da trees. You have to pick each bean, one by one. Only take da red ones. No take da green ones. No stay ripe yet, das why. It's real humbug. But it help you learn wat hard work is. O yeah, call me Kea. Kealoaha is too long. OK, I see you in about five hours to feed you dinner. Work hard, ah?" Kea's pidgin accent is very difficult to understand. It is almost as if we spoke two different languages. And then, I see the field. The coffee trees seem to go on for miles. There is no way I'll get halfway done after three days picking the beans by hand. Oh well, I might as well get started.
"Ho, Kenny, it's 5 o'clock, you done for da day. Wat you like eat?" My body is in so much pain. Kea didn't tell me to wear a hat. I really didn't know the sun was going to be that hot. I am burnt to a crisp. I am so red, that if you put me on a dinner plate with a bowl of butter, I look like lobster dinner fit for a king.
"That's okay Kea, I'm not really hungry. I think I'm just going to go sleep."
"Ok den. I give you one good breakfast tomorrow den. Whoa, braddah. You look like one cherry. I better give you one hat tomorrow. And wear some sunscreen, too."
As soon as a lay down on my bed, I feel like a thousand wasps landed on my body and stung me over and over again. The sunburn hurts so badly, I just want to die. Maybe if I get a good night sleep, I will feel better in the morning.
A magazine. A stupid magazine got me into so much trouble. You see, one day, I was in my sister's store. She was about to pick up her paycheck, when the new issue of Sports Illustrated caught my eye. It had my favorite baseball team on the cover, The New York Yankees. "Can the Yankees make another title run?" was the headline. I wanted it so badly. Even though it should come in the mail in a couple days, I needed to read it. I stuck my hand into my pocket, and took out some money. Then, I thought to myself, wouldn't it be thrilling to steal the thing? I mean, what an adrenaline rush. So, I turned my head back and forth over and over again, making sure there was no one watching me, and I snatched the magazine and tucked it under my shirt. I sauntered towards the door. I was a few steps away from the door, about to reach freedom, when a security guard said, "Hey kid, come with me." Oh Oh. Busted. The security guard took me into a tiny room, and asked, "Did you take anything from here" I decided to lie. "Uh… no sir, I didn't take anything." He knew I was lying. "Well then, I guess you wouldn't mind if I check under your clothes, then." "Okay, I'm sorry, I took this magazine." He thought for a second, and said, "Well, since you're Karen's brother, I won't take you down to the station. But, you do have to pay for the magazine. I'm also going to tell your parents."
As soon as my parents heard the news, they exploded. They were so mad, that they decided to send me off to the Big Island to help my uncle Kealoha out in the coffee fields for three days.
I just arrived at the Big Island, searching for my uncle. When I first set my eyes on him I am stunned. He is a humongous Hawaiian man. How can I be related to him? My family is full of short, scrawny Asians, and this man is at least six feet, 250 pounds! He has a tattoo that runs down his face. I really hope that I never will get this guy pissed, because he could probably snap every bone in my body in half with his iron-like arms.
"OK, Kenny. Wat you goin' do is pick da coffee beans off da trees. You have to pick each bean, one by one. Only take da red ones. No take da green ones. No stay ripe yet, das why. It's real humbug. But it help you learn wat hard work is. O yeah, call me Kea. Kealoaha is too long. OK, I see you in about five hours to feed you dinner. Work hard, ah?" Kea's pidgin accent is very difficult to understand. It is almost as if we spoke two different languages. And then, I see the field. The coffee trees seem to go on for miles. There is no way I'll get halfway done after three days picking the beans by hand. Oh well, I might as well get started.
"Ho, Kenny, it's 5 o'clock, you done for da day. Wat you like eat?" My body is in so much pain. Kea didn't tell me to wear a hat. I really didn't know the sun was going to be that hot. I am burnt to a crisp. I am so red, that if you put me on a dinner plate with a bowl of butter, I look like lobster dinner fit for a king.
"That's okay Kea, I'm not really hungry. I think I'm just going to go sleep."
"Ok den. I give you one good breakfast tomorrow den. Whoa, braddah. You look like one cherry. I better give you one hat tomorrow. And wear some sunscreen, too."
As soon as a lay down on my bed, I feel like a thousand wasps landed on my body and stung me over and over again. The sunburn hurts so badly, I just want to die. Maybe if I get a good night sleep, I will feel better in the morning.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Who's My Hero?
When most people think of a hero, they think of a person that will help them, or even save their life. They probably think that a hero has to be someone that is super strong, or that can fly. When I think of a hero, I don’t think of someone that would save my life. I think of someone that lives by the same values I do and a person that makes the world a better place. That is why a hero in my life is Bill Gates. He is a billionare. But, he didn’t become a billionare because he inherited the money, or won the money. He worked very hard throughout his life to get to where he is today. I value hard work. I believe that it’s not right to get anything you want without hard work. Bill Gates is rich, but he doesn’t keep all his money to himself. His charity with his wife is one of the most successful charities in the world. He uses his money not on himself, but he shares it with the world by helping out global healthcare and poverty, and also expand on educational opportunities in the U.S. Bill Gates is a hard working, generous man, and a great role model for kids. I would love to be just as hard working and generous as Bill Gates.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
What do We Know About Maxine?
This assignment is about explaining how Maxine’s description and imagination about her aunt say about her. In The Woman Warrior, Maxine was told that she had an aunt that killed herself because she had a baby with a person other than her husband. Maxine thinks of reasons why her aunt cheated on her husband and why she decided to kill herself and the baby.
From her description of her aunt, we can say that Maxine has a wild imagination and will elaborate every reason, no matter how weird, that comes to her mind that answers her questions. Maxine wants to know why her aunt would cheat and why she killed herself and her baby. She thinks of the weirdest reasons, such as, “Some man had commanded her to lie with him and be his secret evil. I wonder whether he masked himself when he joined the raid on her family (Kingston, 6).” She thinks that a man made her have a baby with him. As Maxine thought of more reasons for why her aunt had a baby, they got even more unusual than the one before. In the end, she came up with a logical reason why her aunt killed herself along with the baby. We learn that Maxine is a child that needs answers for her questions. She is a very curious girl and will not rest until she has a good explanation for her questions.
We can also say that Maxine values family pride. She says of her aunt, “She kept the man’s name to herself throughout her labor and dying; she did not accuse him that he be punished with her. (Kingston, 11).” Pride is very important in the Chinese culture. So important, Maxine’s aunt killed herself because she brought disgrace upon her family. We know that Maxine lives by the Chinese lifestyle because she is always talking about the different Chinese characteristics and values. She said that she wants to only attract the Chinese boys. That is why Maxine doesn’t want to date. If she turns herself American-Feminine, it will attract the Chinese boys, and all the other boys as well. This means that she lives by the Chinese values and lifestyles, including family pride.
From her description of her aunt, we can say that Maxine has a wild imagination and will elaborate every reason, no matter how weird, that comes to her mind that answers her questions. Maxine wants to know why her aunt would cheat and why she killed herself and her baby. She thinks of the weirdest reasons, such as, “Some man had commanded her to lie with him and be his secret evil. I wonder whether he masked himself when he joined the raid on her family (Kingston, 6).” She thinks that a man made her have a baby with him. As Maxine thought of more reasons for why her aunt had a baby, they got even more unusual than the one before. In the end, she came up with a logical reason why her aunt killed herself along with the baby. We learn that Maxine is a child that needs answers for her questions. She is a very curious girl and will not rest until she has a good explanation for her questions.
We can also say that Maxine values family pride. She says of her aunt, “She kept the man’s name to herself throughout her labor and dying; she did not accuse him that he be punished with her. (Kingston, 11).” Pride is very important in the Chinese culture. So important, Maxine’s aunt killed herself because she brought disgrace upon her family. We know that Maxine lives by the Chinese lifestyle because she is always talking about the different Chinese characteristics and values. She said that she wants to only attract the Chinese boys. That is why Maxine doesn’t want to date. If she turns herself American-Feminine, it will attract the Chinese boys, and all the other boys as well. This means that she lives by the Chinese values and lifestyles, including family pride.
Six Methods of Characterization
Our next assignment is to use and label the six methods of characterization for one character in our family story. The character that I will be describing is Ken. The six methods are:
Appearance, Inner Thoughts/Feelings, Environment, What They Say, What Others Say About Them, and Actions.
Appearance: I didn’t include any of my Uncle’s physical features, but since my uncle is younger than my auntie, then we can conclude that my uncle is a young kid. This could mean that he is naïve and doesn’t know right from wrong yet.
Inner Thoughts/Feelings: My uncle thinks to himself that he should steal the magazine instead of pay for it because it would be a thrilling experience. This means that my uncle is willing to do anything to get some fun out of life. He has the money, but it would be more exciting if he steals it.
Environment: You can tell what kind of character someone is if they only appear in one environment. This is the first time we meet my uncle, so we don’t know where he usually goes and what he does. But, if we find out that my uncle is always around convenience stores, we can conclude that he’s always trying to steal something.
What they say: My uncle didn’t say anything in my family story. But, based on what we know already, we can infer what he would say. Maybe, he might say, “I didn’t steal anything,” when the police officer talks to him. He could say this because we know that he’s a bad person because he stole a magazine. Maybe he is also a liar.
What others say about them: My auntie says, “You can’t do that, he’s my brother.” From this quote, we know that others care about him. Since this is the first time he stole something, his sister believes that he should be left off the hook.
Actions: My uncle steals a magazine. This means he is a mischievous child. He does bad things, making him a bad kid.
Appearance, Inner Thoughts/Feelings, Environment, What They Say, What Others Say About Them, and Actions.
Appearance: I didn’t include any of my Uncle’s physical features, but since my uncle is younger than my auntie, then we can conclude that my uncle is a young kid. This could mean that he is naïve and doesn’t know right from wrong yet.
Inner Thoughts/Feelings: My uncle thinks to himself that he should steal the magazine instead of pay for it because it would be a thrilling experience. This means that my uncle is willing to do anything to get some fun out of life. He has the money, but it would be more exciting if he steals it.
Environment: You can tell what kind of character someone is if they only appear in one environment. This is the first time we meet my uncle, so we don’t know where he usually goes and what he does. But, if we find out that my uncle is always around convenience stores, we can conclude that he’s always trying to steal something.
What they say: My uncle didn’t say anything in my family story. But, based on what we know already, we can infer what he would say. Maybe, he might say, “I didn’t steal anything,” when the police officer talks to him. He could say this because we know that he’s a bad person because he stole a magazine. Maybe he is also a liar.
What others say about them: My auntie says, “You can’t do that, he’s my brother.” From this quote, we know that others care about him. Since this is the first time he stole something, his sister believes that he should be left off the hook.
Actions: My uncle steals a magazine. This means he is a mischievous child. He does bad things, making him a bad kid.
Friday, February 16, 2007
Family Story
For homework, we had to write about a family story.
I think that out of all of my relatives, my Uncle Ken is the funniest. He tells my cousins and I all of his adventures throughout his life. You see, he was a major delinquent. Some of the things he did were so stupid; you just have to laugh. But, one thing he did would have gotten him into so much trouble if my mom and auntie weren’t there to bail him out.
When my auntie was young, she had a job at a convenience store. One day, she was going to pick up her paycheck, when my mom and uncle decided to come along. As my uncle was looking through the store, he spotted a magazine that he absolutely needed. Even though he had the money to pay for it, he decided to steal it because it would be more thrilling. As my mom and her siblings were about to leave the store, a security guard came up to my uncle and said, “Come with me, I saw what you did.” The reason why he got caught is because he moved his head back and forth over and over again, making sure nobody would see him take the magazine. When the security guard said these words, my mom and auntie were in shock. The security guard told them that my uncle stole a magazine, and had to go to the police station. My auntie defended him and said, “You can’t do that, he’s my brother.” The security guard thought for a while, and replied, “Well, since you work here, Karen, we won’t take Ken to the station. But, he does have to pay for the magazine he took. Make sure this never happens again, OK?” The moral of this story is that you shouldn't steal, because if you get caught, you’ll get into a ton of trouble. My uncle was very lucky he learned his lesson about stealing early. If he didn’t get caught, who knows? He could have become a criminal.
I think that out of all of my relatives, my Uncle Ken is the funniest. He tells my cousins and I all of his adventures throughout his life. You see, he was a major delinquent. Some of the things he did were so stupid; you just have to laugh. But, one thing he did would have gotten him into so much trouble if my mom and auntie weren’t there to bail him out.
When my auntie was young, she had a job at a convenience store. One day, she was going to pick up her paycheck, when my mom and uncle decided to come along. As my uncle was looking through the store, he spotted a magazine that he absolutely needed. Even though he had the money to pay for it, he decided to steal it because it would be more thrilling. As my mom and her siblings were about to leave the store, a security guard came up to my uncle and said, “Come with me, I saw what you did.” The reason why he got caught is because he moved his head back and forth over and over again, making sure nobody would see him take the magazine. When the security guard said these words, my mom and auntie were in shock. The security guard told them that my uncle stole a magazine, and had to go to the police station. My auntie defended him and said, “You can’t do that, he’s my brother.” The security guard thought for a while, and replied, “Well, since you work here, Karen, we won’t take Ken to the station. But, he does have to pay for the magazine he took. Make sure this never happens again, OK?” The moral of this story is that you shouldn't steal, because if you get caught, you’ll get into a ton of trouble. My uncle was very lucky he learned his lesson about stealing early. If he didn’t get caught, who knows? He could have become a criminal.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Woman Warrior 2 Quotes
Recently, we read the first chapter of The Woman Warrior, by Maxine Hong Kingston. Our assignment was to pick two quotes from the reading and explain them.
1. "Adultery is extravagance. Could people who hatch their own chicks and eat the embryos and the head for delicacies and boil their feet in vinegar for party food, leaving only the gravel, eating even the gizzard lining-could such people engender a prodigal aunt? (Kingston, 6)"
Maxine is trying to explain to us that how can a family that doesn't waste anything produce a daughter that goes out and wastes her life by cheating on her husband? This family uses every part of the chicken, but a daughter goes out and wastes her life. It was a waste to have a child that ended up killing herself.
2. "Uncles, cousins, nephews, brothers would have looked, too, had they been home between journeys . Perhaps they had already been restraining their curiosity, and they left, fearful that their glances, like a field of nesting birds, might be startled and caught (Kingston, 10)."
Here, Maxine says that maybe, it wasn't her aunt's fault that someone could have raped her. She is so beautiful, that even family members would check her out. The reason why they left for America is because they didn't want anyone to see them staring at their family member. It would have been frowned upon if they did stare at a family member.
1. "Adultery is extravagance. Could people who hatch their own chicks and eat the embryos and the head for delicacies and boil their feet in vinegar for party food, leaving only the gravel, eating even the gizzard lining-could such people engender a prodigal aunt? (Kingston, 6)"
Maxine is trying to explain to us that how can a family that doesn't waste anything produce a daughter that goes out and wastes her life by cheating on her husband? This family uses every part of the chicken, but a daughter goes out and wastes her life. It was a waste to have a child that ended up killing herself.
2. "Uncles, cousins, nephews, brothers would have looked, too, had they been home between journeys . Perhaps they had already been restraining their curiosity, and they left, fearful that their glances, like a field of nesting birds, might be startled and caught (Kingston, 10)."
Here, Maxine says that maybe, it wasn't her aunt's fault that someone could have raped her. She is so beautiful, that even family members would check her out. The reason why they left for America is because they didn't want anyone to see them staring at their family member. It would have been frowned upon if they did stare at a family member.
Friday, February 9, 2007
Moodle
My class uses a website called Moodle. It’s a site that allows us to communicate with our classmates. It also lets us create message boards and wikis. Today, we got into groups and discussed what we like about Moodle, what we don’t like about Moodle, What we would wish it could do, and some creative ways to use it.
What we like about it- communication with others and it saves paper
What we don’t like about it- The editing system only lets one person at a time edit a specific message board or wiki. If you do it at the same time, it will delete your writing. It also lags.
What we wish it could do- real time editing, faster
Creative ways to use it- Have all assignments due on Moodle so we won’t waste paper.
What we like about it- communication with others and it saves paper
What we don’t like about it- The editing system only lets one person at a time edit a specific message board or wiki. If you do it at the same time, it will delete your writing. It also lags.
What we wish it could do- real time editing, faster
Creative ways to use it- Have all assignments due on Moodle so we won’t waste paper.
Lost Sister Questions
Recently in class, we read the poem, “Lost Sister”. It’s about the Chinese immigrants that moved to America for a better life. My teacher, Mr. Watson, told us to answer the following questions:
1. Introduce and discuss a significant quote from “Lost Sister”.
2. Explain what the poem reveals about our essential questions. What does it say about how our “self” is created?
1. “In America, there are many roads and women can stride along with men.” This quote comes at the very end of the third stanza. The poem said earlier that daughters of Chinese ancestry never left their home in China. The girls would always obey what anybody told them. But, this poem tells of a girl that leaves China. The reason why she left is because there are more opportunities in America. I believe that the girl didn’t want to live the Chinese lifestyle and wanted to do more with her life. As this quote said, women are treated the same as men. A woman can be just as successful in America as a man. No one will tell a woman what to do in America, as well. This is why the girl wanted to move. She will have more choices and will be more successful.
2. This poem is trying to tell us that we will always be connected with the city we grow up in. The poem said, “You find you need China: your one fragile identification, a jade link handcuffed to your wrist.” This is located at the beginning of the fifth stanza, and means we will always have a little bit of the place we grew up in our hearts. Where you grow up will shape your beliefs and what you enjoy. For instance, since I live in Hawaii, I love the beach. I grew up around the beach and probably will go crazy if I move somewhere that has no beach in sight for miles. Where we grow up also shapes how we talk and the language we use. In Hawaii, many people talk pidgin. If we would go to the mainland, we would sound different from everyone else because we grew up in Hawaii. So, I think that where you grow up definitely influences how our “self” is created.
1. Introduce and discuss a significant quote from “Lost Sister”.
2. Explain what the poem reveals about our essential questions. What does it say about how our “self” is created?
1. “In America, there are many roads and women can stride along with men.” This quote comes at the very end of the third stanza. The poem said earlier that daughters of Chinese ancestry never left their home in China. The girls would always obey what anybody told them. But, this poem tells of a girl that leaves China. The reason why she left is because there are more opportunities in America. I believe that the girl didn’t want to live the Chinese lifestyle and wanted to do more with her life. As this quote said, women are treated the same as men. A woman can be just as successful in America as a man. No one will tell a woman what to do in America, as well. This is why the girl wanted to move. She will have more choices and will be more successful.
2. This poem is trying to tell us that we will always be connected with the city we grow up in. The poem said, “You find you need China: your one fragile identification, a jade link handcuffed to your wrist.” This is located at the beginning of the fifth stanza, and means we will always have a little bit of the place we grew up in our hearts. Where you grow up will shape your beliefs and what you enjoy. For instance, since I live in Hawaii, I love the beach. I grew up around the beach and probably will go crazy if I move somewhere that has no beach in sight for miles. Where we grow up also shapes how we talk and the language we use. In Hawaii, many people talk pidgin. If we would go to the mainland, we would sound different from everyone else because we grew up in Hawaii. So, I think that where you grow up definitely influences how our “self” is created.
Introduction
Hello everybody. My name is Blaine. This is my Freshman English 1 B Blog for my school. We have two essential questions in this class. They are:
1. Who am I?
2. How does my use of language define me?
Outside of school, I like to go to the beach and watch T.V. When I go to the beach, I go body boarding. If you’ve never gone body boarding before, it’s pretty intense. You ride the wave with no board. Your body just glides on the wave. I love to watch T.V., as well. My favorite T.V. show is Family Guy. It’s hilarious. Well, that’s enough about me. Enjoy my Blog!
1. Who am I?
2. How does my use of language define me?
Outside of school, I like to go to the beach and watch T.V. When I go to the beach, I go body boarding. If you’ve never gone body boarding before, it’s pretty intense. You ride the wave with no board. Your body just glides on the wave. I love to watch T.V., as well. My favorite T.V. show is Family Guy. It’s hilarious. Well, that’s enough about me. Enjoy my Blog!
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